My name is Mary Fowler-Simmons, and I am the proud mother of three beautiful daughters and the wife of a supportive husband. I dedicated twenty-nine years of my career to Virginia Commonwealth University and spent an additional year at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality as a Senior Research Administrator Manager.

As a cancer survivor, I have taken on various roles to raise awareness and support for cancer initiatives. I am a champion with the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, an ambassador for the American Cancer Society's Voices of Black Women, and an active member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Above all, I cherish my church, St. Paul's Baptist Church in Richmond, VA, where I serve as a deacon.

I am committed to honesty and transparency, which are essential in advocacy work related to cancer research and the availability of affordable prescription drugs. It is vital for our voices to be heard and for us to focus on funding research that can save lives—something I can personally attest to as a participant in a clinical trial. I stand by the motto of the VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center: "One team, one fight."